Paying by card at French petrol stations

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John Ward, Nuneaton, Warwicks, writes We have experienced problems in France when trying to buy fuel at a petrol station when you can pay only at the pump, for instance on a Sunday when the station is closed. Our cards have been refused and we have been helped by fellow travellers. Is this a general problem in France, or were we unlucky with our choice of petrol station?

Anthony Peregrine, France expert, replies You were unlucky. Certainly, in past years, British cards were spat out by French automatic petrol pumps with Gallic relish. I live in France, have French cards and have myself helped British motorists stranded on petrol station forecourts in the early hours of Sunday morning. Subsequently, the difficulties have diminished – now that mainstream British cards have chip-and-PIN technology and that French card machines have been updated.

A spokesman at Visa’s British office told me the company wasn’t aware of “any general problem”. The French supermarket chain Carrefour reckons its petrol stations now accept all major cards, wherever they have been issued. That said, you might still run into rogue petrol stations. To lessen this risk, the obvious answer is to ensure you fill up during working hours. There’s unlikely to be a problem at motorway service stations, most of which are manned around the clock.

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About Anthony Peregrine

One of the most knowledgeable writers on France, Anthony has lived near Montpellier for many years.